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Resident disputes candidate claim of plentiful affordable housing in St. Mary's County
Summary
An unidentified resident disputed a candidate's claim that St. Mary's County has ample affordable housing, citing recent assessment practices, heating‑fuel costs and realtor reports that buyers need dual incomes to afford homes.
An unidentified resident told a local meeting that a candidate for commissioner in District 3 had claimed there is "plenty of affordable housing" in St. Mary's County, and the resident disputed that claim, saying, "I just don't know where it is."
The resident said an appeal with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation showed the agency uses a statewide website to impute what one‑bedroom apartments "should be rented for," and argued those imputations affect property taxes on rental units. "I was surprised that the state can impute what they think your rents should be," the resident said.
Why it matters: Housing costs and property‑tax assessments affect both renters and owners. The speaker tied those assessment practices to affordability concerns and cited specific household expenses to illustrate the strain facing residents.
The resident gave recent cost figures to underline the point: "177 gallons cost, $673.10," they said when describing the price of heating oil for a common 275‑gallon tank, and added that local utility bills (referred to as SMEDCO bills in the comment) have gone up. The speaker also relayed a realtor's observation that buying in a local neighborhood requires two incomes and pushes buyers to their financial limits.
The comment included personal context: the resident said they and their wife bought property on the Patuxent River about 30 years ago and recounted seeing the river freeze in very cold weather, noting such weather feels cyclical and stopping short of scientific claims about climate change.
No formal response or action on the issues was recorded in the transcript. The remarks were part of public comment; the transcript does not identify the candidate the speaker referenced by name, and the resident's statements about state assessment methods and realtor reports were presented as their observations rather than as verified findings.
